May 15th  Mon.  We had a few hick-ups getting started, but we did have a nice breakfast and Dan got the truck tires aired up.  We left a few items stored at Gold Rock and we are on the road!  It isn't very far up the road when we cross into our first new state.

We pulled into Brunswick, GA and Golden Isles RV Park early only 29 miles into Georgia.  We met our new neighbors, beat off the insects and decided to head out for an early dinner, and we found a nice place and I had a shrimp po-boy while Danny indulged in onion rings and ribs.

  

May 16th Tues.  We headed out to St. Simons Island and wandered around Ft Frederica, very interesting history and beautiful grounds.  The wild grapes that grow up into the Oaks and are as covered with spanish moss as the trees are incredible.  They tell us, when the Fort was active and the small settlement was being built the whole area was bare of trees, the local natives had used the place for cultivating crops, so all these trees grew since the war between the English and Spanish.  After the Ft we stop at Christ Episcopal Church and admire the beautiful stained glass.  The best story is about the main glass window that came from Germany.  The piece is title The confession of St. Peter by Mayer & Company of Munich.  Not too many years ago the Church sent the window back to The German Company to have it reworked and stabilized.  They also requested that a piece of leading across Christs face be removed.  The company replied that the "bar" was temporary, and used to stabilize the window in shipping.  The "bar" had been left in place all the years it was in the Church, but now it is gone and the only testament to it is in old pictures of the windows.

May 17th Wed.  We decided on Jeckyl Island today and went to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  They have a skeleton of an Archelon overhead in the entrance and it seems pretty enormous at about 13 feet but then we learn leatherback sea turtles can reach 6 ft and weigh up to 2000lbs.  So we have turtles today that are about half the size of the prehistoric turtles, and thats impressive.

While we are at the center we overhear a conversation about the best bar b q in the area.  So we head back t St. Simons Island and Southern Soul for a late lunch.  Perfect timing as we understand the line is out the door most of the time.  Really good food and we have enough for another meal.








May 18th Thur.  Today is another travel day and we are on the road by 9:30 ad heading for South Carolina.  The drive is easy, but the surface of I-95 is terrible! 250 miles up the road and we pull into Swamp Fox Rv Park.   One thing about today, I got in the truck without my phone!  That just doesn't happen. So as we crossed into South Carolina I have no picture.

May 19th Fri.  The weather has been getting just a little bit cooler and I am starting to believe we might get to sleep without the AC running before to long.   While enroute I touched bases with a cousin in South Carolina and Catherine and I have made arrangements to meet.  She is a 1st cousin once removed and as I reflect back, I believe I last saw her mother at FT. Lewis Washington in the late 50's.  Yes 1950's or early 60's  I was 8-10 yrs old and my family took a trip up to Washington to visit.  Today we just hang out at home and make a trip to Sam's Club and go to the movies.  Alien Covenant is not that good, at all, and we decide it is not recommendation worthy except for some of the effects...Too bad.








May 20th Sat.  We are slow moving today and so it is about 10:30 when we get heading to Camp Agape, SC and a small family reunion.  The one thing I regret is no pictures.  How could we forget pictures.  My cousin Cathy moved to South Carolina many years ago and raised her kids here.   Cat met us out front and we felt , well like family, as we should.  We had a nice visit and met her daughter Lindsey and her son Jared.  And James, Catherines husband.   Its always interesting to meet someone for the first time and yet they are family and we made very loose plans to come back through SC and share a "camping" weekend with Cat and James. And any of their family that joins in.  Sounds like fun.  AND they know some places to hunt for Megaladon teeth, and James wants to find one also, so Danny really wants to come back and do this.

On the way home we had to stop for gas and found a Sam's club with diesel for $2.08, last time it was that low was back in Mississippi, last year.  Then we found this place called Maurices bar-b-q piggy park.  Well that sounds different and it was.  I had a meal that included stew, served over rice.  It was delicious.  Their bar b q is very mustard based and we did enjoy it, and the leftovers for later.

May 21st Sun. just a hang out sort of day.  Take it easy and get ready to move again.

May 22nd Mon.  Travel day!  211 miles today and I-95 is even worse.  I will make plans to skirt the highway anytime in the future we transit the east coast.  We pull into Carolina Crossroads and after setting up the Lake House it is time to go find Dinner.  The manager recommends a Steak House place one exit up.  This seems to be a pretty common thing,  the parks are all one exit away from all the hubbub.  We head on over to Logans Roadhouse and peanuts.  IT's one of those places with a bucket of peanuts on the table and peanut shells all over the floor.  Dan had a rib-eye and I had pork chops, and we got a half rack of ribs....because we could, and they have a special offer.  It means leftovers again, yeah.


May 23rd Tues.  We hung around home today, made a short trip in to Walmart and just took it easy, after all we are retired and we can do nothing very well.  I was sitting and watching the dogs over at the dog park and told Danny there were a couple of dogs over there that reminded me of the giant schnauzers that travel with Dick and Betty from New Smyrna.  So he headed over to let Butter play with some big dogs, and guess what....they were Mishka and Jackson.  And Dick was there too.  They had returned to Connecticut to finish up a house sale and he said it was terrible and they were very happy to be heading back to New Smyrna.  We missed getting time for a visit the next morning while I was in the shower they stopped by on their way out of the park and Danny didn't get dressed fast enough to get outside to invite them in.  We will see them again in November I'm sure.  Dick did make a point of telling Dan we needed to go to the Sylvan Bird Park.

May 24th Wed.  Sylvan Bird Park and Danny makes a friend.  We no sooner enter the park then a South American vulture named Nefretiti is brought out and we stay to talk with the handler and she, the bird decides that Dan is a better perch then the carpeted board they had her standing on.  He can have the vulture on his shoulder, I would prefer not to.  She has to check him out thoroughly before she is willing to be coaxed back to her perch.

We had a really good day walking the park and seeing all the great displays.  The parakeet habitat was very interesting after we each bought a stick with bird seeds stuck to it.  Those little guys just swarmed us.  When the seeds got dropped on our arms and hands they just kept pecking away.

We had bought bags of bird feed and Danny even got a flamingo to eat from his hands, I think the bird was more interested in the hair on his arms.

 

May 25th Thurs.  Traveling day.  We were off early today and while we only had about 200 miles to travel it was the worst traveling day.  Now we know what people mean about I-95.  The chucking every time we cross a over pass was really obnoxious!!  I should have had 2 state line pictures to post today, but I was bouncing so bad, Maryland got lost in the bouncing and jouncing.

We arrived at Cherry Hill park about 2 and got settled in to our spot just as the flood gates opened and within 10 minutes we had 12 more RVers all around us.  Good timing.  We will settle in here in College Park for 10 days to take time to see the capital.  One of the best features here is a daily talk about using the Metro and how to get around DC.  The local 83 bus stops right here in the park making it even easier to get around.  So we buy our Senor metro passes and make reservations for a nighttime bus tour of the monuments on June 1.